The Merry Wives of Windsor | Study Guide

William Shakespeare

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Course Hero. "The Merry Wives of Windsor Study Guide." Course Hero. 22 Mar. 2018. Web. 18 Jan. 2019. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/>.

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Course Hero. (2018, March 22). The Merry Wives of Windsor Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved January 18, 2019, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/

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Course Hero. "The Merry Wives of Windsor Study Guide." March 22, 2018. Accessed January 18, 2019. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/.

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Course Hero, "The Merry Wives of Windsor Study Guide," March 22, 2018, accessed January 18, 2019, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Merry-Wives-of-Windsor/.

The Merry Wives of Windsor | Scene Summaries

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Timeline of Events

  • One day

    Falstaff and his followers arrive in Windsor.

    Act 1, Scene 1

  • Meanwhile

    Slender, Doctor Caius, and Fenton all attempt to woo Anne Page.

    Act 1, Scene 1

  • Soon after

    Falstaff plots to seduce Mistresses Page and Ford.

    Act 1, Scene 3

  • Within a day

    Mistresses Ford and Page receive identical love letters from Falstaff.

    Act 2, Scene 1

  • Almost immediately after

    The "merry wives" plan their revenge on Falstaff.

    Act 2, Scene 1

  • That same day

    In disguise, Ford plots to learn of Falstaff's intentions and deeds.

    Act 2, Scene 1

  • Later that day

    Doctor Caius and Sir Hugh plan—and cancel—a duel.

    Act 2, Scene 3

  • Next morning

    Ford assembles a search party to catch Falstaff in his house.

    Act 3, Scene 2

  • Meanwhile

    Falstaff, hiding in a laundry basket, is dumped into the Thames.

    Act 3, Scene 3

  • Later that day

    Falstaff agrees to meet Mistress Ford again.

    Act 3, Scene 5

  • Next morning

    Visiting Mistress Ford, Falstaff is tricked into dressing as an old woman to flee the house.

    Act 4, Scene 2

  • Soon afterward

    The Fords and the Pages plan an elaborate final prank to embarrass Falstaff.

    Act 4, Scene 4

  • The same day

    Fenton plots to elope with Anne.

    Act 4, Scene 6

  • That night

    The other two suitors make their own plans to elope with Anne.

    Act 5, Scene 2

  • After midnight

    Falstaff visits Windsor Park in disguise, as instructed.

    Act 5, Scene 5

  • Immediately

    Falstaff is mocked and tormented by a troupe of children disguised as fairies.

    Act 5, Scene 5

  • Meanwhile

    Fenton elopes with Anne while the other two suitors run off with decoys.

    Act 5, Scene 5

  • Later that night

    The Pages accept their daughter's marriage to Fenton.

    Act 5, Scene 5

Scene Summaries Chart

Scene Summary
Act 1, Scene 1 Justice Robert Shallow has just arrived in Windsor, accompanied by his nephew Abraham Slender and Sir Hugh Evans, a cler... Read More
Act 1, Scene 2 In front of the Page residence, Sir Hugh hands Simple a letter to deliver to Mistress Quickly, Doctor Caius's housekeepe... Read More
Act 1, Scene 3 Falstaff arrives at the Garter Inn with his gang of followers: Bardolph, Nym, Pistol, and Robin the page. When Falstaff ... Read More
Act 1, Scene 4 Simple visits Mistress Quickly at the home of her employer, Doctor Caius. She tells John Rugby, the Doctor's manservant,... Read More
Act 2, Scene 1 Back at the Pages' house, Mistress Page is reading a love letter. It is full of over-the-top rhetoric and bad poetry and... Read More
Act 2, Scene 2 This long scene takes place at the Garter Inn and consists of several conversations between Falstaff and other character... Read More
Act 2, Scene 3 In a field outside Windsor, Doctor Caius is ready to fight his duel with Sir Hugh, who hasn't yet arrived. As Doctor Cai... Read More
Act 3, Scene 1 The scene shifts to a field outside Frogmore, in the neighborhood of Windsor Castle. Sir Hugh walks onstage carrying a b... Read More
Act 3, Scene 2 Robin walks with Mistress Page on a street in Windsor. The two encounter Ford, who asks how Robin came into Mistress Pag... Read More
Act 3, Scene 3 At the Ford residence, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page brew up a prank for the unsuspecting Falstaff. Mistress Ford orde... Read More
Act 3, Scene 4 Meanwhile at the Page home, Fenton is attempting to woo Anne Page. He hints she should simply elope with him because her... Read More
Act 3, Scene 5 Back in his room at the Garter Inn, Falstaff calls for wine. As Bardolph runs to fetch it, Falstaff complains about near... Read More
Act 4, Scene 1 On a street in Windsor, Mistress Quickly meets with Mistress Page and her son William. She reports Falstaff's intention ... Read More
Act 4, Scene 2 Back at the Ford house, Falstaff woos Mistress Ford with flattering speeches. Mistress Page calls from offstage, prompti... Read More
Act 4, Scene 3 At the Garter Inn, Bardolph informs the Host his three German guests require horses to go pay their respects to a visiti... Read More
Act 4, Scene 4 At the Ford residence, Mistress Page and Mistress Ford reveal Falstaff's love letters to their husbands. Sir Hugh is als... Read More
Act 4, Scene 5 Back in the Garter Inn, Simple has come to pay a visit to "the wise woman of Brentford," whom he saw going into Falstaff... Read More
Act 4, Scene 6 Elsewhere in the Garter Inn, Fenton offers the Host a handsome sum if he will help him elope with Anne Page. He explains... Read More
Act 5, Scene 1 Back at the Garter Inn, Falstaff tells Mistress Quickly he will go along with Mistress Ford's plan to meet in the park a... Read More
Act 5, Scene 2 That night in Windsor Park, Page meets with Shallow and Slender. They rehearse the latter's plot to steal away with Anne... Read More
Act 5, Scene 3 Meanwhile, Mistresses Page and Ford are on their way to the park with Doctor Caius. Mistress Page and the Doctor discuss... Read More
Act 5, Scene 4 Sir Hugh leads a group of schoolchildren toward Windsor Park. All, including him, are disguised as fairies. He instructs... Read More
Act 5, Scene 5 Falstaff, wearing a deer's head complete with antlers, arrives at the appointed meeting spot in Windsor Park. Lustfully ... Read More
Plot Summary Scene 1
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